Phantoms prodigy Romero is two-way blur

Watching Daquan Romero under the Friday Night Lights, you're floored. The speed and hands he possesses as a receiver … the quickness and strength he shows at defensive end … and the intensity level he has on every single play.

And then you realize he's only 16 years old, goes by a nickname his mother gave him as a child, and doesn't have his driver's license yet. And all that interest he's getting from the media and college recruiters? It'll never define him.

"I'm not the type of guy for attention, honestly," said Romero, Phoebus' junior defensive end and tight end. "I mean, I like it, but I'm not the type of guy who goes out there acting all crazy. If the attention comes, I'll take advantage of it."

How could the attention not come? Romero drew it from the start, as a 14-year-old freshman, when he became a two-way starter for the 13-1 Phantoms. It intensified last year when he was the only sophomore to make first-team all-state in Group AAA (at tight end).

This year, he has nine sacks and seven catches despite playing with a sprained ankle that kept him out of last week's win over Menchville. Phantoms coach Stan Sexton says it's "50-50" as to whether Romero will play in Friday night's showdown against Hampton.

Most expect Romero to be out there. If he's not, or if he's anything less than his normal self, it changes things. Sexton, Warwick's former coach, knows this as well as anybody. He coaches Romero now, but the last two seasons he coached against him.

"He was almost impossible to prepare for because you don't have anybody with that speed, that burst coming off the ball," Sexton said. "You can't take a scout-team player and replicate that.

"You try to do the best you can. But when you get in the game and get the realization of how fast he is off the ball, and the intensity he plays with, it's eye-opening."

Stone Bridge found that out, and quickly, in last year's Group AAA Division 5 semifinal. On the first play from scrimmage, Romero came through from the right side and drilled Bulldogs quarterback Patrick Thompson. And knocked the ball loose.

Demetrius Ward, Romero's bookend on the other side of the line, recovered and went 26 yards to give Phoebus a 7-0 lead only 10 seconds into the game. That was the first of four sacks that afternoon for Romero, who also caught a 22-yard touchdown pass.

"He does things out there I've never seen a sophomore do," Tajh Boyd, the Phantoms' former quarterback, marveled last year.

After catching 34 passes and scoring 11 touchdowns in 2008, Romero hasn't been as involved on offense this year. He sprained his ankle in the preseason, and though he played in the opener against Gloucester, he was only used on defense.

His first reception didn't come until the third game. He had five catches for 54 yards in the Phantoms' win over Woodside, but he aggravated his ankle a week later against Kecoughtan.

"It's all right," he said earlier this week. "It feels a lot better than last weekend. I'm not 100 percent sure I'm going to play. But as far as my mind-set goes, I want to play."

His mind-set always wants to play. Romero's mother, Zakia Robinson, remembers how he got into football in the first place. It happened when he was 6 or 7, and he joined a youth wrestling team coached by Dennis Pearce.

"He only lost one match," Robinson said. "But the wrestling coach was also coaching football in Grafton-Tabb. And that's how it all started. He's loved it ever since."

Nicknamed "Da-Da" (pronounced Day-Day), Romero is one of those rare players who can affect a game on offense and defense. He likes catching the ball but he's particularly fond of getting a sack. He knows how dramatic they can be.

"A sack, to me, is such a big change in the game," he said. "It's such a big momentum change for your team. That's my goal, at least one or two sacks every game.

"Most of the time when I line up against a tackle, I size him up and look at him. See if he's scared, or anything, in his eyes. Most of the time, I think I can beat any tackle because of my speed."

And though he's not the only reason — his team, after all, has been loaded with talent lately — the Phantoms have a remarkable record with Romero in the lineup. Since his freshman year, they are 35-1.

Though he's a dominant defensive end in high school, at 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds he'll likely play linebacker in college. He's often compared with Xavier Adibi, the former Phantom who went to Virginia Tech and now plays with the Houston Texans.

"We've had some good ones here, and I think Da-Da ranks up there with Xavier," Sexton said. "Potentially, he could be as good as Xavier if he stays healthy."

As for the comparison itself, Romero is flattered. But he doesn't want that to define him, either.

"I don't really compare myself to anybody," he said. "I don't want to be like anyone but myself."